I really don't get it...

Priss · July 2013

Honestly I don’t get people. I understand perfectly well being animal lovers, and wanting to be surrounded by them. But what I don’t understand are these so called animal lovers that randomly approach strange animals without consulting the owners about whether it is okay, if the dog bites, etc. (This is an issue I’ve had in the past which has resulted in me having to choke out my 80lb dominate quarter rott mix to keep him from attacking people he never would have considered if they talked to me first.) Even this breed discrimination is annoying. It’s gotten so bad in my town people are literally poisoning pit bulls. To the point they have poisoned my boss’s 9 yr old pit causing her to put it down. (How she did it I won’t mention it because people may find it crude.) This irritates me considering she’s had this dog for 9 years, it played with her kids who are no more than 6 or 8. It protected her when her husband went after her. Its got me warning my neighbors to watch their dogs since someone has thrown things over my fence to which my dog has eaten to keep my mothers puppy from having. All because hes a dominant jerk and in his old age apparently likes getting infections of the intestinal tract at the age of 9 from eating things people have thrown over the fence giving me flash backs to putting his mate down when she died of stomach cancer. This is all as of recent. I wont count the number of people I’ve had to chase off that were try to pet the dogs through the fence or trying to remove the lock to let the dogs out to play. What I don’t get is these people who let their kids run wild and don’t watch them. I’ve put my dogs out several times to find kids in the yard either trying to approach my old Rottweiler Joker or the puppy Bofa. Which is good and well they aren’t yard aggressive or territorial like my boy Lightning is. But then they try to come in the yard to pet him because hes pretty all the while hes lunging at them, snarling and snapping. To me that screams he’s a danger to you get the owner or just leave it be. If people showed common sense about any animal not just dogs some of the attacks you read about in the papers wouldn’t happen. Theres a difference between being an informed animal lover and a ignorant person who just wants to pet something cuddly and beautiful. That cuddly and beautiful thing might just be the one to rip your head off if you approach it the wrong way. And just because it behaves one way for one person doesn’t mean it won’t for the next. I’ve proven this with Lightning. Dog will do everything I asked and I’ve had people say they can make him do the same only to hand me my dog back and say they want no part of him because he won’t listen or behave for them as he did me. Which is sad considering I’ve had a 3yr old autistic child walk him before, under my supervision since the dog acted unsure with the way the child was acting but he allowed it, he even played with the kid. Something unheard of for my dog, and allowed him in the yard to love on him but would try to attack his father if he came near after he saw the man whip the boy and his brother outside. :x In short I just want people stop being stupid where my animals and others are concerned. And to seriously stop poisoning them based off of just breed because they are ignorant and buy into the media hype about the so called dangers of a pit bull. I’d rather have a ‘big dangerous pit’ than I would a little toy breed that people seem to think is cute when it latched onto someones leg trying to bite it. Which I’ve seen and have had done to me while I was working even after asking an owner to put their dog away. I felt more sorry for the dog then I did the owner at that time. But for now its time to go give Lightning his antibiotic and be thankful hes getting healthy and check the yard before they go out.

Dark Flame · July 2013

I totally agree with you there, now sometimes I approach a dog and stroke it if the owner has gone into the store, but I always approach calmly and make sure it isn't growling or anything, and if i'm unsure on how the dog is I won't touch it. Like I let them sniff my hand and sometimes they snap like they want to bite so I just walk away from them, since im not entirely stupid... But I was once un-locking my bike off a lamppost and one of them Westie dogs decided to go and bite my leg, I didn't even wanna touch the dog cause it was an angry looking thing, and the owner was like apologetic about it, and I was just thinking, keep a better leash on it, if its prone to biting people. I'm sure i've had more problem with smaller dogs than bigger dogs. I love big dogs... I'd have an Alsatian (German Shepherd) but I know my mom doesn't like them because over here they have a reputation of being aggressive, because people around here are basically stupid and don't look after their dogs properly. People just need to be more educated with dogs in general and look after them properly, there would be less stuff to worry about if people just realized stuff, since over here our banned dogs list is Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero which is more to do with the owners of those breeds than the breed itself, just silly

FlyTM · July 2013

I'm not sure if its me or not but I see most people let their little dogs get away with a lot more than a bigger dog becuase its "cute". People just need to come down to earth and wake up, there is meant to be so called programs running to teach kids how to be safe around dogs or has that gone down the drain? but anyways the Mother or Father should be watching the kid, and should be teaching the kid, its not right to just come up to any dog wihtout asking or any dog that is just there with no owner.. or not being mean or anything most younger teenage mums and dads just wouldn't think like that to teach their kid little things like that? (not meaning everyone incase anyone takes that to heart..) That makes me mad too that the media has lead people doing that to others pits.. people seem to believe whatever the news says.. they must be controlled by the T.V... or newspaper.

SC`s Stars II · July 2013

I was taught from a VERY young age to always ASK before you pet. I'll be teaching my kids the same. It's safety as well as courtesy to the owner. I have a friend who was working on getting one of her dogs certified to be an assistance dog and I couldn't tell you how many times we were out in public and just had kids run up to him to give him a pat. We took the time to explain to the kids (most of them very young) that dogs with vests on are working and shouldn't you touch any dog unless you ask. It's a major safety thing - some dogs simply don't like kids or fast movements or loud noises. It's just inconsiderate for someone to approach a dog without any knowledge of their temperament. As for the breed issue - a lot of people either look at my dog and say "Oh, he's so pretty!" or "Is he aggressive?" it's always either they're in awe of him or terrified. He's a german shep/husky and his bark is fairly intimidating but he's knows the difference between people coming to the farm (we new people in and out on a daily basis) and someone who shouldn't be there (people around at night) and if he notices you being loud or getting upset he will bark to warn you that he doesn't like the vibe you're giving off. At the same time, he lets the little kids climb all over him and is a gentle giant. In general, it's stupid for parents to let their kids approach a dog they don't know - they should be teaching them to always ask permission whether it be a little chihuahua or a big ol' rottie.

Alabama · July 2013

On the other side of the coin.. I was brought up and feel the same way. You don't ever touch or attempt to touch someone else's dog without speaking to and getting permission. That said, and in trying to teach my daughter the same, I have run into more than one person that when I stop Micky from just running up to an animal, they get upset that I might think their dog is dangerous. I try to explain it's nothing personal, but it's respect and safety in case the next dog isn't friendly and I get this look like I must not like dogs or I must be crazy.

Priss · July 2013

My thing is I was always raised you ask to pet a dog or even approach one you don't know. Even if I knew the animal I still asked because your not always around them to know their mood changes or if something may be off with them that may cause an out of the blue bite or attack. My dogs even socialized get locked up when we get visitors only because my best friend as a child was attacked by a dog and is terrified of big dogs. Ironic considering she was around Lightning from the time he was a pup and he adores her. This all just boggles my mind. Lightning walks wonderfully on a lead with only a choker for corrections but I've had to train him into a halti as well since I've actually had kids on bikes come up behind him and pet him only to have him turn and snap at them. To the point hes caught one kid by his shorts. Poor terrified kid was not happy when I demanded to know where he lived then proceeded to talk to his parents about what happened. Expressing my concern at what they would think if I said nothing. Nothing was turned in because it was at the kids fault and the parents were loving on Lightning they just decided to teach their kids properly at that time the right and wrong way to approach a dog. The little dog thing is just an annoyance as is the breed bans. What really bothers me is the fact people are poisoning them with antifreeze. And some of those owners I've known the dogs, one of the others was a rescue dog I used to work with in my vet tech courses. Wonderful male pit who did nothing wrong other than wanting attention and love, only to get that then poisoned because of his breeding. If they want to do something like that and fight a battle why don't they turn their attention to the puppy mills in the area or the ones hording dogs and not feeding them and not giving them up because they cant bear to be without their loving pet but they're content to let them die infront of their eyes to keep them around.

Frostbight8 · July 2013

Completely agreed. I have a Shih-Tzu, which is known to be a breed that is generally sweet towards everybody. My dog is not exception, she likes most people, but some boisterous, loud people have scared her in the past. Especially now that she's blind in one eye, she seems to have become more weary. That being said, we no longer fully trust her around strangers. Just the other day we were out for a walk and a little kid who was barely walking came over to my dog and stuck his hand in her face, then proceeded to roughly pat her head. The kid was so small that my 15 lb dog sitting down was equal to a full-grown human and a Mastiff. He had absolutely no supervision, the father was a good distance away, not even concerned that his kid had run up to a random dog. Luckily, my dog seems to understand that little kids are different, as she's always been a sweetheart with them. When I was little I always wanted to pat every dog that I saw, but I was taught to ask first. Now that I'm older I feel a little awkward asking, so I just don't bother with strange dogs.

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I really don't get it...

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